Refrigerator car and the like



Sept. 21, 1937. w. F. KIESEL. JR

" REFRIGERATOR CAR AND THE LIKE 4 Sheets-Sheet l mwgvrom WLLL a/m if lfmsaL, Jr,

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Filed April 2, 1935 REFRIGERATOR CAR AND THE LIKE Sept. 21, 1937.

w. F. KIESEL Filed April 2. 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVEIYTOR: WiLLmm 2T Hue/$151 .11;

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Sept. 21, 1937. w. F. KIESEL; JR

REFRIGERATOR CAR AND THE LIKE Filed April 2, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 FIG- JJZ M 65 oz INVENTOR:

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WITNESSES:

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W. F. KIESEL. JR

REFRIGERATOR CAR AND THE LIKE Filed April 2, 1935 00 0 o 0 o o o Sept. 21, 1937.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO WITNESSES:

Patented Sept. 21, 1937 2,093,896 REFRIGERATOR CAR AND THE LIKE William F. Kiesel, Jr., Hollidaysburg, Pa., as-

signor to The Pennsylvania Railroad Company, Philadelphia, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvama Application April 2, 1935', Serial Na. 14,234

I Rassum This invention relates the like, and especially 14 Claims.

to refrigerator cars, and to cars of a top-iced other types of refrigerator car bodies.

In suitnd of the walk it t ereon. These hatches 20 open into bunkers 22,1 22 directly beneath. As here shown,

there are entirely separate bunker structures 22,

22 for the opposite ends of the car, separated top refrigerant or iceable forms of embodiment, such as that herea somewhat greater distance from one another 5 inafter described, the invention minimizes heat than the widths of the center doors I 5, l5, and leakage; affords maximum lading space, free of each longitudinally divided; so that there are in obstructions; and combines lightness of construceffect four individual refrigerant bunkers 22. In tion with strength and thorough heat insulation. the present instance, each bunker 22 has four Still other features and advantages of the invenof the hatches 20, making it easy to put refrig- 10 tion will appear from the following description erant or ice into every part of each bunker. of a species or embodiment thereof, and from Between and separating the bunkers 22, 22 in the. drawings. So far as novel over the art, the ends of the car is a deep longitudinal girder indeed, all the features shown or described are 23 (Figs. III, IV, and X) directly under the midof my invention. portion of the roof, and forming part of the top In the drawings, Fig. I is a side elevation of structure of the car. As here shown, this girder a refrigerator car body conveniently embodying 23 is a plate girder, comprising a metal plate the invention. with flange angles 24, 24 along its lower edge Fig. II is a corresponding plan view. and upright stiffening angles 25 at intervals Fig. III shows a longitudinal vertical section throughout its length, on opposite sides of the 20 through the car body, taken as indicated by the plate alternately. The bunkers 22 are shown as line and arrows III-III in Fig. 11. of sheet metal (preferably non-corrosive), per.-

Fig. IV shows a cross-section, taken as indiforated or foraminated with a multitude of closely cated by the line and'arrows IVIV in Fig. II. spaced round holes, for the sake of lightness, free Fig. V is a fragmentary cross-section near the circulation of air in contact with the refrigerant 25 roof of the car, taken as indicated by the line and or ice, and free drainage of water due to 'the arrows V-V in Fig. III. r melting of ice. In the present instance, the bunk- Fig. VI is a fragmentary cross-section near the ers 22, 22 of each pair are supported by the girder floor of the car, taken as indicated by the line 23 at their adjacent sides, resting on its lower and arrows VIVI in Fig. III. flanges formed by the angles 24, 24, and having 30 Fig. VII is a fragmentary horizontal section the girder web plate as acommon side wall or and plan, taken as indicated by the line and dividing septum. Their outer sides need not be arrows VII-VII in Fig. VI. formed by the side walls of the car body, but

' Fig. VIII is a fragmentary horizontal sectional may preferably consist of upward-bent portions view, with a portion of the car broken outand of the foraminated sheet metal of the bunker. 35

r omitted, taken as indicated by the line and arrows At their outer sides, the bunkers 22, 22 maybe VIII-PVIII in-Fig. I. supported from the top structure of the car in Fig.IXis a fragmentary vertical sectional view, any suitable way, as by outbent flanges 26 sewith portions of the car broken out and omitted, cured to the roof; and so, likewise, at their foram- 0 taken as indicated by the line and arrows IXIX inated transverse walls or ends. 40

in Fig. II. Close under the bunkers 22, 22 are shown drain- Fig. X shows a cross-section through the upper age pans 21, 21 (Figs, III and IV) for the meltage or top portfon of the car, taken as indicated by water from the bunkers. These pans 21, 21 may the line and arrows X-X in Fig. II. be constructed as trays of light wood such as As shown in Figs. I, II, III, and IV, the car balsa, preferably covered with sheet copper. They 45 body resembles those of refrigerator cars hithermay be supported from the side walls of the car to used in general appearance, having doors l5, l 5 at their outer sides or edges, and from the girder in its opposite sides at mid-length, and the usual 23 at their inner, adjacent sides or edges. As walk It along the center of its roof, besides the shown in Fig. IV, each pan 21 is hinged by bracket usual underframe of longitudinal center and sidehinges 28 to the ear side at its outer edge, with 50 sills l1 and i8, l8, and transverse bolsters 89. an interval permittingair circulation, and has To allow of icing the car from the top very its inner edge suspended from the girder 23 by conveniently and quickly, the car roof has "iceanchors 3H. Each anchor 3t comprises a bolt hatches 20 at opposite, sides of its longitudinal attached to the girder angle-flanges 23, 26 by a 55 mid-portion, clip 3|, and a clip bar $2 resting on thenut of the anchor bolt and. engaging under the adjacent inner edges of the pans 21, 21. The midportion of each clip bar 32 is offset upward, thus affording shoulders that engage the edges of the pans 21, 21 and keep the clip bar from accidentally turning out from under the pans 21, 21, so as to let them drop. By slightly lifting the inner sides of the pans 21, 21, the clip bars 32 are released so that they can be turned to allow the pans to be swung down against the car sides,

to facilitate cleaning the pans and the ice bunkers 22.

As shown in Fig. IV, the car roof, the bottoms of the bunkers 22, 122, and the drainage pans 21, 21 all slope from the girder 23 toward the car sides. Meltage water from the pans 21, 21 may drain away through vertical ducts 33 in the side walls of the car, shown (Figs. III and V) as open at their upper ends, at 34, into the pans and the space above the pans, and at their lower ends 'into' traps 35 in the car floor (Figs. VI and VII) The outer side wall of each pan 21may have outlet openings corresponding to the upper duct openings 34, with spouts 3'l projecting over the lower edges of the openings 34 into the ducts 33. As shown in Fig. VI, each trap 35 has a bottom outlet 35 that delivers to a spout 40 under the car floor, this spout I 4|) to the longitudinal side sill l8 of the car body. Each trap 35 may also be open at42 up through the car floor, to permit meltage of ice placed in the lading spaceof the car to drain off through the trap. As shown in Fig. IV, the car floor slopes from the center toward drainage to the traps 35. The lower end of each duct 33 may be open into the bottom of the lading space through the trap opening 42, and also at 43 just above the car floor and the trap 35. Thus cold air from the ice bunkers 22, 22 may enter the upper ends of the ducts 33 at 34 and pass down through the ducts and out into the lading space at the floor.

As shown in Figs. IV, VII, and VIII, the car is provided with floor racks 44, consisting of transverse wood slats fastened to longitudinal wooden sills 45 that rest on attached blocks or shims 45. These blocks 45 not only allow water to drain freely toward'the sides of the car. unobstructed by the sills 45, but also allow cold air from the ducts 33 to circulate freely under the lading, and to pass up through the racks 44 wherever the lading allows. As shown in Fig. IV, the racks 44 are divided into sections along the middle of the car,

and these sections are hinged to the car sides by bracket hinges 41, so that the racks may be swung up against the walls to facilitate cleaning.

It may generally be preferred to have downward circulation of cold air from the refrigerant bunkers 22 mainly or entirely thrugh the ducts 33,-and thence through the traps 35 and under the floor racks 44, thus providing refrigeration of the lading from the bottom up,-with return circulation of warmer air up from the lading space between the inner edges of the pans 21, 21 and so back'into the bunkers. If the downward circulation through the ducts 33 should be impeded in any way, however, as by clogging of the ducts 33 or the traps 35 with dirt, or by a lading thatcovers the'floor racks 44 completely,'then the cold air can overflow from the pans 21, 21

and descend (through the space between the outer edges of the pans and the side walls of the lading space), giving refrigeration from the. top down.

The construction of the car body is most clearly illustrated in Figs. 1, IIL IV, VIII, IX, and X.

40 being attached (by a bracket each side, to facilitate Broadly speaking, it may be characterized as comprising complete inner and outer sheet metal.

shells thermo-insulated from one another by interposed heat-insulating material,-which also serves as a, stress-transmitting medium between the shells, so that they reinforce one another structurally. Except at the side doorways at l5, l5 and the roof hatch openings at 25, direct metallic or other heat-transmitting connection between the inner and outer shells is avoided. Stiffening reinforcement for one or both shells may be provided in the interspace between them,that of each shell thermo-insulated from the other shell and its reinforcement. Likewise, structural support for the upper portion of the car body and for the ice-bunkers 22, 22, etc., may be provided in the interspace, as well' as (in part) by the side walls.

As best" shown in Fig. comprises an outer sheet metal floor 50 laid directly on the underframing (which includes sills I1 and I5, I8 and bolsters l9), a thermoinsulative floor 5| laid on this outer metal floor, and an inner sheet metal floor 52 laid on top of said thermoinsulative floor 5|. The outer floor 55 may preferably be of in. mild steel; the themeinsulative flooring 5| may consist of two layers of balsa wood, each 2 in. thick; and the inner floor 52 may be of V; in. mild steel. This composite floor having been laid, the inner sheet metal side and end walls 53, 53, and 54 may be erected, and the inner sheet metal roof shell 55 may be installed, including the longitudinal plate girder 23. As here shown, the edges of the inner floor shell 52 are bent .upward and the wall shell 53, 54 is secured to them (as by riveting); and the margins of the inner roof shell 55 are bent downward on a curve, and the wall shell 53, 54 is similarly secured to it. The upper margin of the girder plate 23 lies between downturned margins IV, the floor of the car 55, 55 of the two widths of the inner roof plating condition. For example, sixteen layers of such material may be used for the side walls, and nineteen layers for the roof. Then the outer shell side and end walls 53, 53 and .55 and roof 35 (which may all be of in. mild steel) are put in place and secured to one another and to the sills l3, l3, as by riveting. At the openings of the side doors l5, l5, z-bars 3| connect the outer shell walls 53, 55 to the inner shell walls 53, 53. At the door sills, heat insulating (wood) pieces 52 are enclosed in the inturned outer shell portions 53, and over these are'placed similar pieces 54, which are enclosed in sheathings provided by bending outward suitable extensions 35 of the inner sheet metal floor 52. At the head of each door l5, a thermoinsulative (wood) facing piece 55 is provided. The doors |5,.|5 themselves may be of any suitable thermoinsulative construction. I

- Figs. IX and X show a walls is reinforced and stiffened with upright braces 10 embedded in the heat-insulating material 51 between the inner and outer shells. In the roof, the inner and outer and 60 is similarly reinforced and stiifened with transverse braces 'H, 12 of channel section. While the roof braces 1 I, 12 are shown as separate (channel) members with flanges secured to the sheets 55 and 60 (as by welding), the wall braces 10 are shown as integral with the sheet metal of the walls: viz., in Fig. VIII the wall shells may be seen to consist 'of a series of plates with vertical margins overlapping and secured together (as by riveting), and the braces 10 are formed by displacing inward the inner plate margins at the overlaps. For greater strength, the inner plate margins are doubled inward, preferably into hollow (channel) form, and are secured to the overlapping outer plates at both sides of each double brace 10 thus formed. Preferably, the upright ducts 33 for downfiow of water and air from the bunker space above the pans 21, 27 are similar in construction to the braces TIL-though of greater width lengthwise of the can-and also serve as braces: or, in other words, the ducts 33 are really extra wide braces 10.

The longitudinal girder 23 may be supported by transverse girders 15 (Figs. III, IX and X) adjacent the ends of the bunkers 22, but outside them. These transverse girders I are preferably of more or less open truss construction, so as not to interfere with the circulation of air through the foraminous end walls of the bunkers 22. girder 15 as consisting of a lower roof-brace channel H as compression member and a tie rod 18 as tension member, with an end portion of the plate that forms the web of girder 23 serving as acenter strut between them. In other words, the end portions of the web plate are .common to the longitudinal and transverse girders in the form of construction here illustrated. The ends of tie rod 16 are anchored to bracket ears 11 secured (as by rivets) to the ends of brace H and to the upper ends of corresponding wall braces 10, whilethe tie rod 16 extends across the lower portion of girder 23, and is secured by a clip 18 to the lower flange angles of the girder. Thus these wall braces between which the roof brace H is spanned serve as structural-uprights to support the transverse and longitudinal girders l5 and 23, the ice bunkers 22, 22, and, 'to a large extent, the middle of the roof and the drain pans 21, 21. As shown in Fig. X, the channel braces H for the inner roof shell plating 55 are of unifo m depth except at their ends, which are flattened and bent down part way around the corresponding bends of the roof margins. The upper ends of the corresponding uprLght braces 10 are similarly flattened and bent inward. The channel braces '12 for the outer roof shell plating 60 taper in depth from the center of the roof to the eaves, where their ends are flattened and bent down, and secured (as by rivets) to a Z-bar eaves plate 19 and to the down-turned edges of the outer roof plating 80.

The Z-bar 19 overlies the upper edges of the outer wall-shell plating l8 and is secured to an angle bar 80 itself secured to said plating 58.

While I have herein referred to ice as the refrigerant employed, and spoken of the car as top-iced", yet it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the utility of my invention is not limited to ice as distinguished from other refrigerant means or substances, which might be introduced at the top of the car.

shell plating 55 Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A refrigerator car construction comprising an inside metal shell and an outside metal shell, interposed heat insulating material thermo-insulating them from one another, channel braces for stiffening said inner and outer shells embedded in said interposed insulating material at intervals along the length of the car, and ofiset from one another, and top refrigerant-bunkers in the car, above its lading space, supported from certain of said braces.

2. A refrigerator car prising inside and outside metal shells composed of longitudinal series of metal plates with overlapping margins secured together, the plate margins toward the interspace of the shells at the overlaps being displaced inward to form stiffening braces, interposed heat insulating material wall construction com doubled inward into double stiffening bracesyand secured to the overlapping plate margins at both sides of each such double brace, interposed heatinsulating material in the interspace thermoinsulating said shellsand their said stiffening braces from one another, a top structure supported directly by certain of said stiifenlng braces, and top refrigerant-bunkers in the car, above its lading space, supported directly from said top structure.

4. A refrigerator car construction comprising n inside metal shell and an outside metal shell, interposed heat insulating material thermo-insulating them from one another, uprights for stillening said inner and outer shells embedded in said interposed insulating material at intervals along the length of the car, and offset from one another, a top structure supported directly from certain of said uprights, and top refrigerantbunkers in the car, above its lading space, supported directly from said top structure.

5. In a top-iced refrigerator car, the combination of a side wall including inside and outside sheet metal shells, and a top structure; a top refrigerant-bunker supported bythe top structure, 'and a subjacent drain pan, both above the lading space of the car; and a hollow structural upright in the interspace between said shells serving to support the top structure of the car and as a drainage duct for said drain pan.

6. In a top-iced refrigerator car, the combination of a side wall including inside and outside sheet metal shells, a top refrigerant-bunker supported by the top structure of the car and a sub- Jacentdrain pan, both above the lading space of the car, and a hollow structural upright in the interspace between said shells serving to support the top structure of the car and open, for air circulation, to the space above said pan and to the lading space at the car floor. 7. In a top-iced refrigerator car, the combination of a side wall including inside and outside sheet metal shells, a top refrigerant-bunker and a subjacent drain pan above the lading space of the car, and a duct in said side wall, between said inside and outside shells, open for air circulation therethrough directly to the space above said pan and to the lading space at the car floor, and also draining oil. water from said pan and delivering it below the car floor.

8. In a top-iced refrigerator car, the combination with side walls and a roof having refrigerant-hatches therein at both sides of its midportion, of top refrigerant-bunkers under said hatches supported by the car, and drain pans under said bunkers and hatches having their outer edges hinged to the car sides and suspended from the car roof at their adjacent inner edges.

9. In a top-iced refrigerator car, the combination with side walls and a roof having hatches therein at both sides of its mid-portion, of a longitudinal girder under said mid-portion of the roof, top refrigerant bunkers at either side of said longitudinal girder, supported by the latter at their adjacent inner sides and from the top structure of the car at their outer sides, and drain pans under said bunkers having their outer edges hinged to the car sides, and supported from said longitudinal girder at their adjacent inner edges.

10. In a top-iced refrigerator car, the combination with side walls and a roof having hatches therein at both sides of its mid-portion, of a girder structure comprising a longitudinal member extending under said mid-portion of the roof and transverse members supported at the side walls and intermediately supporting the ends of said longitudinal member, and top refrigerant bunkers between said transverse members at either side of saidlongitudinal member, supported by the latter at their adjacent inner sides and from the top structure of the car at their outer sides, and drain pans under said bunkers having their outer edges hinged to the car sides, and supported from :zid longitudinal member at their adjacent inner ges.

11. In a top-iced refrigerator car, the combination with the car walls and roof, of a girder structure comprising. a tending under and supporting the mid-portion of the roof for the major portion of the length of the ladingspace of the car. and supported from the car walls; and top refrigerant bunkers at either side of said longitudinal member, likewise extending the major portion of the length of the lading space of the'car, and supported by its top structure; said roof .having hatches therein, at both sides of its said mid-portion, arranged to permit the distribution of refrigerant substanside sheet metal shells with longitudinal member extially equally throughout the length of said top refrigerant bunkers.

12. In a top-iced refrigerator car, the combination with side walls and a roof, of a girder structure comprising longitudinal and transverse members, the former extending under and supporting the mid-portion of the roof for the major portionof the length of the lading space of the c'ar,and the latter supported at the side walls and intermediately supporting the former; and top refrigerant bunkers between the transverse members, at either side of the longitudinal, likewise extending the major portion of the length of the lading space of the car, and supported by its top structure; said roof having hatches therein, at both sides of its said mid-portion,.arranged to permit the distribution of refrigerant substantially equally throughout the length of said top refrigerant bunkers.

13. In a top-iced nation with side walls comprising inside and outstructural uprights in their interspace, and a roof with hatches therein at both sides 'of its mid-portion; of a girder structure comprising a longitudinal member extending under said mid-portion of the roof, transverse members supported at their ends by said uprights in the side walls and intermediately supporting the ends of said longitudinal member,

' and top refrigerant-bunkers between said transverse members at either side of said longitudinal member, supported by the latter and by said uprights in the side walls.

14. In a top-iced refrigerator car, the combination with side walls comprising inside and outside sheet metal shells with structural uprights in their interspace; of a roof likewise comprising inside and outside sheet metal shells with transverse braces in their interspace spanned between said structural uprights in the side walls, and having hatches therein at both sides of its midportion; a longitudinal girder under said midportion of the roof; longitudinal top refrigerantbunkers with openwork ends at either side of said longitudinal girder, supported thereby and by said uprights in the side walls; and tie rods connected between'the ends of said roof braces and extending across the lower portion of said longitudinal girder, and thus coacting with the roof braces to form transverse trusses supporting said longitudinal girder from said uprights in the side walls.

WILLIAM 1". KIESEL. JR.

refrigerator car, the combi- 

